He Is

Haruki awoke to the smell of herbs and clean linen. His eyes fluttered open, squinting against the warm glow of candlelight flickering on stone walls. The soft creak of wooden floorboards and the faint rustle of curtains told him this wasn’t the dungeon anymore. He lay on a narrow bed draped in fresh sheets, feeling comfortably wrapped up like a spring roll.

Rows of beds lined the long chamber, some occupied by soldiers and attendants, others by those Deacons Haruki recognized from the battle. A few were groaning softly in their sleep, bandaged from head to toe.

Haruki pushed himself up slightly, wincing as his muscles protested. A young nurse came by, carrying a tray of steaming bowls. She noticed him awake and hurried over, her expression soft but weary.

“You’re awake,” she said gently. “Don’t try to move too quickly.”

“Are… are they… is everyone okay?” Haruki asked, his voice hoarse, glancing at the others.

His gaze landed briefly on Kiera’s bed – where she was turned to the side, but still visibly exhaling out her fire breath, with bandages wrapping around her head and even her forearms. The damage did not seem super severe, which was a relief for Haruki.

The nurse followed his gaze and gave a small nod.

“By His mercy, you all made it through.”

Haruki’s shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh, tension leaking out of him in one long breath. For the first time since the fight began, he felt safe enough to breathe.

“Someone’s here to see you,” the nurse added softly, her eyes flicking toward the far end of the infirmary.

Haruki blinked and turned his head just as the heavy oak door creaked open.

The man who stepped inside was unlike anyone Haruki had seen before. He was broad and round in stature, his frame swathed in a golden robe embroidered with intricate patterns that shimmered in the candlelight. He never thought a human being could get so large. But then again, humans on Sunpeak may have been different compared to back home. His bald head gleamed, and a thick, snow-white beard spilled down to his chest. Yet it was his presence that struck Haruki most.

Warm and commanding all at once, like the embodiment of a hearthfire in the dead of winter.

“Ah,” the man chuckled softly, his deep voice filling the room like a gentle bell. “So these are the heroes of the night.”

As if on cue, Loto stirred in the bed beside Haruki, his face pale but eyes sharp. He groaned softly, pushing himself up on one elbow.

“Sir…” Loto rasped, his voice carrying an immediate reverence.

“Rest, my friend,” the man said, raising a hand with a smile. “You need it more than anyone. After what happened, I’d give you a vacation if I thought you’d actually take one.”

A weary smile tugged at Loto’s lips, though he said nothing more.

The golden-robed man’s smile faded slightly, replaced by the calm weight of someone accustomed to responsibility.

“There is much work to be done,” he mused, more to himself than anyone. He turned then, his warm gaze falling on Haruki.

“You must be the one I’ve been hearing about,” he said, his voice carrying a strange mixture of curiosity and respect. More than Haruki would have for himself, not realizing what he managed to accomplish in the battle.

The man moved closer, until he stood at Haruki’s bedside. There, he smiled as he offered his big calloused hand for him to shake, his golden sleeves slipping back just enough to reveal the faint glint of rings etched with foreign runes. He told Haruki:

“I am Elder Oric. Pleased to meet you.”

Haruki hesitated, having the term ‘Elder’ slowly engraved into his mind. Making him wonder about this man’s potential after seeing what Deacon Loto was able to do. Eventually he worked up the courage to shake. He responded:

“I am… Haruki… of Earth…”

“Oh – planet Earth, eh? Fascinating.”

Before Haruki could respond, a groan broke the moment as Kiera began stirring in her bed, blinking through the haze of exhaustion. When she noticed Oric, her eyes widened, and she immediately tried to sit up.

“Elder, Lord, sir!” she cried out.

Oric’s warm smile softened into something closer to parental concern.

“You fought well, young one,” he told her gently, clasping his hands together. “But you gave us quite the scare. A Follower facing a Wizard? You should know better.”

Kiera looked down sheepishly, her shoulders curling inward like a reprimanded child.

“Yes, sir,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Oric gave a small nod, his expression kind but firm, and Kiera’s posture eased as though his approval mattered far more than she’d like to admit.

But the atmosphere quickly shifted as Haruki turned his head toward Loto, who sat upright on his own bed. Haruki spoke out, quiet but steady:

“Sir, I think you owe me an explanation. I do not want to be rude, but still. Having me put in that dungeon was quite the shocking… thing. Please, tell me what’s going on.”

Kiera, emboldened, repeated after him:

“We’ve both had enough secrets. Please tell us the truth, sir.”

The words hung heavy in the infirmary. Oric exhaled through his nose, folding his arms over his golden robe, the weight of leadership settling over him like a mantle.

“Loto filled me in,” Oric said at last, his deep voice breaking the tension, “about your Echo Rite, and all that happened beforehand, in the forest, as well as your origin, arriving at that blue castle.”

Oric’s eyes studied Haruki closely as if searching for something beneath his skin. He then said:

“First, let me ask you a question, Haruki. Have you had any… dreams lately?”

It was a peculiar question, one that sprang up out of nowhere like some kind of… inevitability. He had hidden the vision he had about the spider at the cottage, and he had yet to have a chance to even discuss the one he had about the Spider Wizard in his dungeon cell. In a way, he was relieved that Oric was asking him about this. Since this meant he did not have to hide anymore.

With his reluctance fading, Haruki nodded his head:

“I have… had two visions so far… ever since I arrived here on this planet, that is. One of them appeared to me on our way to meet Loto in that village, what’s the name… um… Sendria, yeah. The one to the east. I had a vision that a couple would be attacked by a giant spider monster at the village. When we arrived – the vision came true.”

Kiera and Loto listened on intently, with Kiera herself widening her eyes from the shock that Haruki would keep this from her and the Deacon. Haruki continued:

“The second vision I had… occurred when I was being kept inside my dungeon cell. I saw that Spider… Wizard attacking the Naikaia. I even saw the three Deacons coming out to defend the courtyard. It was… unbelievable…”

Haruki paused for a bit before glancing over to Loto, whose expression was somehow unreadable. Haruki asked:

“Sir, you told me I have no Echo. But clearly… I do have an ability. So was what you told me a lie?”

To his surprise, Loto shook his head:

“No. What the Rite showed us is the truth. You have no Echo. The ability you have… it isn’t something that can be accomplished through the inner calling. No Echo can grant such a power.”

“I… don’t understand.”

Loto clarified:

“You need to understand something – nobody on this planet possesses the ability to see the future. At least… not anymore. Not since…”

Oric finished his thoughts for him, his voice grave and final:

“The Prophets.”